You want a revolution? Ars reviews The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles: Rock Band is more than just a side project designed around one …

You're either going to understand why The Beatles: Rock Band is such a big deal, or you're going to wonder why everyone is so worked up about another game centered around a single band. It's a valid question, and if you're not a fan of the Beatles you'll be able to comfortably sit this one out. But if you are a Beatles fan, then get ready for a great experience. There isn't any music here that's "inspired by" the Fab Four—just 45 tracks by what was arguably the most influential band of all time.

In the minds of music fans, the Beatles have ceased to be a group of four people and have become something of a godlike entity, and if this game has a weakness it's that it suffers from the pedestal the band is put upon. The game treats the songs as something holy, with animations and details that allow the years to slide by, punctuated by milestones in the band's career. The song list is expertly picked—although your favorite song may be missing, it gives you a good sense of the band's beginnings in small clubs with the early, rambunctious pop, takes a literal and figurative trip through the psychedelic years, and ends with the bittersweet rooftop concert at Apple headquarters.

This journey isn't chronicled in any biographical way, but it's shown as a mix of songs, venues, and animations between each set. The story of the Beatles has become more powerful than the truth of the band; watch the game's intro video to see just how masterfully Harmonix juggles the band's looks and sounds, while hitting all the expected iconic moments. It's like taking a roller coaster through history.

This game is a love letter to the legend and music of the Beatles, and if that isn't attractive to you, then the game won't be able to convince you that it's worth your time. But if your interest is piqued, get ready for an experience that captures, encapsulates, and re-contextualizes a huge part of our collective popular culture.

What version should I buy?

That's a good question, and we have yet to spend any kind of significant time with the official Beatles instruments, but there are three of them and they each cost $99.99. That's $300 for the luxury of having plastic guitars shaped like the instruments the Beatles played. The full band set for the game is likewise $250, and that gets you the game, silvery drums with a Beatles logo to attach to the front, the Hofner bass made popular by Paul McCartney, a microphone, and a stand.

Yes, it's nice to have the whole aesthetic experience, but come on. These instruments don't have any special features that go along with the game; they just look nice. If you already have a full set of plastic instruments, they'll work fine. You can pick up an entire Rock Band 2 set with a guitar, drums, microphone, and the game for $100 or so if you find a sale, meaning you can get the same number of accessories, along with the extra game, if you buy that package and the Beatles software.

So if you have the money to get the full set and the extra two guitars—$450 in all—go for it. If you would rather spend less money, getting standard equipment will be much cheaper and you don't lose anything outside of the nifty plastic shell.

What you will need if you plan on playing with friends is two extra microphones and microphone stands. The game supports three-part harmonies on many of the songs, and this feature adds a lot to the enjoyment of the game. If you're only playing with one microphone, you're missing out on a large part of what makes the experience special. The branded microphones at gaming stores are likewise expensive, and the wireless microphone for the Xbox 360 runs $50. Any USB microphone will work, so this is another place you can do some shopping around to save money.

The setup I've been using for the 360 version of the game consists of the Guitar Hero 5 guitar, the Fender Bass, one wireless microphone, the standard Rock Band 2 microphone, and the Guitar Hero microphone. To get the full experience you need two guitars, a drum set, three microphones, and preferably three microphone stands so you can play and sing at the same time. If you have the equipment already, just pick up some USB microphones and stands to round out the set. If you're starting from scratch, take the time to shop around.

Playing the game

The game itself doesn't bring much new to the genre outside of the artwork and the songs of the Beatles. You can't create your own character, and of course your avatar is determined by the instrument you play. Unlike the oddity of seeing Kurt Cobain rapping in Guitar Hero 5, you won't see Lennon drumming here, or Ringo playing the bass.

In fact, in the career mode the first few venues are straight-ahead performances at venues such as the Cavern Club, Ed Sullivan Theater, and Shea Stadium. The animated Beatles are stylized representations of the real people, and the fans scream and carry on appropriately, but after all the buzz leading up the game's release it almost seems anticlimactic. This is exactly what you'd expect: the Beatles playing the songs that made them famous in the locations that made them stars.

The game reaches bright, acid-drenched heights during the 19 songs played inside Abbey Road studios. Each song begins with the band playing in the studio, but as the songs play the background drops away to reveal what Harmonix refers to as "dreamscapes," brilliant animated reproductions of the songs' lyrics and themes. They're extraordinary, and this is the rare rhythm game where it's worth it to put down your instrument every now and again to watch others play and enjoy what's going on in the background.